Pushbutton switch, provided with a lighted ideogram

ABSTRACT

A pushbutton switch comprising a pushbutton, pivoted about an axis and provided, on one of its portions, with an ideogram, which is lighted on its inner surface by a light beam emitted from the terminal of a light guiding cable.

United State 1 gmzcu ROOM Codrino Oct. 16; 1973 SUBSTl 1U1E l-UH lVllbblNb XR [54] PUSHBUTTON SWITCH, PROVIDED WITH 3,544,749 12/1970 DeAngelo 200/167 A A I H IDEOGRAM 3,610,860 10/1971 Baldwin 200/167 A Primary Examiner-Robert K. Schaefer Assistant Examiner-William J. Smith Attorney-Michael S. Striker [5 7] ABSTRACT A pushbutton switch comprising a pushbutton, pivoted about an axis and provided, on one of its portions, with an ideogram, which is lighted on its inner surface by a light beam emitted from the terminal of a light guiding cable.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDUCI 16 ms 3.766.349

I N V]? NTOR.

PUSHBUTTON SWITCH, PROVIDED WITH A LIGHTED IDEOGRAM This invention relates to a pushbutton switch, provided with lighted ideogram, particularly adapted for fitting on the instrument panel or the dashboard of a motor car, ship or aircraft.

Pushbutton switches provided with printed ideogram are already commercially available.

They show, however, the inconvenience of not being lighted and therefore they are not visible during night drive.

In the past, the lighting of said ideograms showed some problems in regard to both the complexity of the various necessary connections and the space availability.

As a matter of fact, in order to light up an ideogram, it was required to fixedly secure thereto a lamp, fitted with complicated electrical lighting organs.

Said problems may be at present resolved in a simple manner and with the minimun space requirement by fitting on the instrument panel or the dashboard a stationary diffuser, provided with a luminous source, to which there are attached light guiding cables, which at the other end are fastened to the switch or the control member at the point whereat there is printed the ideogram.

By light guiding cables we understand cables consisting of more filaments of glass fibre, covered with a rubber sheath or other plastic material, having each the property of shifting the absorbed light from one of its end to the other.

The pushbutton switch with a lighted ideogram according to the present invention will better be under- As it may be seen in FIG. 2, the position of the screen (9) is such that when the pushbutton (1) of the switch 7 is in one of its two end limit positions, said screen (9) stood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the FIGS. on the accompanying drawing, which represent a preferred but non limiting embodiment form of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the pushbutton switch according to this invention;

FIG. 2 represents a sectional side view of a changed embodiment of the same pushbutton switch and FIG. 3 shows a sectional side view of the same pushbutton switch, in a different actuating position of the pushbutton.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, the pushbutton switch according to this invention consists of a pushbutton (l), pivoted to the axis (2) about which it may swing and provided, on a portion of a surface, with an ideogram (3).

The latter is lighted, on its interior part, by the cable terminal (4) of a light guiding cable (5).

Said light guiding cable (5) is fastened to the pushbutton switch by causing it to pass through a hole (6) and looking it between two elastic fins (7) and (7'),

provided in the body of the pushbutton switch itself.

The light guiding cable (5) is further provided with a cable terminal (8), permitting to hold all filaments together.

The other terminal of the light guiding cable (5) is being fastened to a (not shown) diffuser, in which there is housed the luminous source.

Alternatively, the pushbutton (1) may be fitted, at the interior part of the ideogram (3), with a screen (9), forming an integral part of the pushbutton portion, not provided with ideogram.

is out of the cone of light emitted by the end of the light guiding cable, and consequently the ideogram (3) is lighted up.

When instead the pushbutton (I) is in its other end limit position, the screen (9) fully covers the light flow, thereby impeding the lighting of the ideogram (3) (see FIG. 3).

Of course, if the screen (9) consists of pigmented transparent material, then the ideogram (3) is lighted with a coloured light, thereby evidencing the operating position of the switch.

The ideogram is simultaneously printed with the pushbutton and may consist of white and coloured plastic material in an equal or, better, different colour relative to that of the remaining pushbutton.

The pushbutton switch with lighted ideogram according to the present invention has been described in the foregoing specification by making reference to the figures of the accompanying drawing, representing a preferred embodiment form given by way of non limiting example.

Several changes and modifications as to shape, dimensions and construction may be introduced in the pushbutton switch according to this invention within the spirit and scope of the invention itself.

It is, therefore, understood that any such changes and modifications fall into the scope of the protection applied for.

I claim:

1. In a pushbutton switch, a combination comprising a hollow tiltable pushbutton member provided on a part thereof with an ideogram; mounting means mounting said pushbutton member tiltable between two end positions about an axis laterally of said ideogram; a light guiding cable having a terminal fixed to said mounting means for directing a beam of light into the interior of that part of said hollow pushbutton member on which the ideogram is provided; and a screen fixedly connected to said tiltable hollow pushbutton member for tilting movement therewith and extending in the interior thereof in such a position that in one of said end positions of said member, said screen is located out of path of the light beam emitted from said terminal of said cable onto said ideogram and that said screen intercepts said light beam in the other end position of said member.

2. In a pushbutton switch a combination comprising, a hollow tiltable pushbutton member provided on a part thereof with an ideogram; mounting means mounting said pushbutton member tiltable between two end positions about an axis laterally of said ideogram; a light guiding cable having a terminal fixed to said mounting means for directing a beam of light into the interior of that part of said hollow pushbutton member on which said ideogram is provided; and a screen fixedly mounted in the interior of said hollow pushbutton member in such a position that in one of said end positions of said member, that screen is located out of the path of said light beam emitted from said terminal of said cable onto said ideogram and that said screen intercepts said light beam in the other end position of said member, said screen consisting of a colored transparent material. 

1. In a pushbutton switch, a combination comprising a hollow tiltable pushbutton member provided on a part thereof with an ideogram; mounting means mounting said pushbutton member tiltable between two end positions about an axis laterally of said ideogram; a light guiding cable having a terminal fixed to said mounting means for directing a beam of light into the interior of that part of said hollow pushbutton member on which the ideogram is provided; and a screen fixedly connected to said tiltable hollow pushbutton member for tilting movement therewith and extending in the interior thereof in such a position that in one of said end positions of said member, said screen is located out of path of the light beam emitted from said terminal of said cable onto said ideogram and that said screen intercepts said light beam in the other end position of said member.
 2. In a pushbutton switch a combination comprising, a hollow tiltable pushbutton member provided on a part thereof with an ideogram; mounting means mounting said pushbutton member tiltable between two end positions about an axis laterally of said ideogram; a light guiding cable having a terminal fixed to said mounting means for directing a beam of light into the interior of that part of said hollow pushbutton member on which said ideogram is provided; and a screen fixedly mounted in the interior of said hollow pushbutton member in such a position that in one of said end positions of said member, that screen is located out of the path of said light beam emitted from said terminal of said cable onto said ideogram and that said screen intercepts said light beam in the other end position of said member, said screen consisting of a colored transparent material. 